The solved grid
1P
A
2L
A
3T
A
4B
L
5E
6E
N
7G
O
O
H
O
X
V
E
8R
O
U
G
E
9A
C
A
D
E
M
E
T
D
I
L
10R
U
M
P
R
O
11A
S
T
12B
R
13A
A
O
B
E
R
N
14Y
O
U
15S
T
O
O
D
16O
R
E
E
T
U
U
N
C
17D
A
H
18C
A
T
A
19L
Y
Z
E
D
K
I
E
O
20M
A
21D
E
I
R
22A
23G
R
A
F
T
E
U
N
T
H
G
A
24N
E
B
25G
R
E
A
T
S
E
A
L
Across
1 Across Tasty, as a plate lab is rearranged in the lab (9) → PALATABLE Anagram
Anagram of “a plate lab”.
6 Across English, hidden in a creaky old engine (3) → ENG Hidden word
Hidden inside “engine”.
8 Across Cosmetic blusher made from Romania, Uganda and the East (5) → ROUGE Charade
RO + UG + E.
9 Across Scholarly world formed when a fruity drink enters the pinnacle (7) → ACADEME Container
ADE inside ACME.
10 Across Trams pour chaotically to produce a hearty beef cut (4,5) → RUMP ROAST Anagram
Anagram of “trams pour”.
12 Across Big red apple, initially, forms an undergarment (3) → BRA Initialism
First letters of: Big, red, apple.
14 Across Ewe, reportedly, is the one I'm speaking to (3) → YOU Homophone
Sounds like “ewe”.
15 Across Grasped, minus its foundation, remained standing (5) → STOOD Deletion
UNDERSTOOD without its initial UNDER.
16 Across Mineral, they say, used for rowing (3) → ORE Homophone
Sounds like “oar”.
17 Across Long Morse signal found in panda hunts secretly (3) → DAH Hidden word
Hidden inside “panda hunts”.
18 Across Sped up, lazy cadet disturbed (9) → CATALYZED Anagram
Anagram of “lazy cadet”.
20 Across Admire a cocktail - a fortified wine (7) → MADEIRA Anagram
Anagram of “admire a”.
23 Across Good grade for a floating platform brings hard work (5) → GRAFT Charade
G + RAFT.
24 Across Ben, turned around, is a beak (3) → NEB Reversal
BEN reversed.
25 Across Fine sealant, losing a pest, is the official emblem (5,4) → GREAT SEAL Deletion
GREAT SEALANT without its final ANT.
Down
1 Down Depicted, as a poor trade, we hear (9) → PORTRAYED Homophone
Sounds like “poor trade”.
2 Down Blowhard, noisy near a river's opening (9) → LOUDMOUTH Charade
LOUD + MOUTH.
3 Down Belonging to them, heads of tulips, holly, elm, ivy and rose (5) → THEIR Initialism
First letters of: tulips, holly, elm, ivy, rose.
4 Down Snake found in gumbo art display (3) → BOA Hidden word
Hidden inside “gumbo art”.
5 Down Highly honoured, Axle Ted disturbed (7) → EXALTED Anagram
Anagram of “Axle Ted”.
6 Down Night before found in sleeve, partly (3) → EVE Hidden word
Hidden inside “sleeve”.
7 Down Command to a horse, hidden in a large evening gala (3) → GEE Hidden word
Hidden inside “large evening”.
11 Down Roughly a boxing match (5) → ABOUT Charade
A + BOUT.
12 Down Zero began strangely, marking an ancient era (6,3) → BRONZE AGE Anagram
Anagram of “zero began”.
13 Down Data clone scrambled gives a hearsay account (9) → ANECDOTAL Anagram
Anagram of “data clone”.
15 Down Feeding at the breast, as an unweaned creature loses love (7) → SUCKING Deletion
SUCKLING without L from the middle.
19 Down Kindle, or pale (5) → LIGHT Double definition
Two separate definitions of the same word.
20 Down Members enjoying nightlife, initially (3) → MEN Initialism
First letters of: Members, Enjoying, Nightlife.
21 Down Nickname, or copy a tape (3) → DUB Double definition
Two separate definitions of the same word.
22 Down Consumed a number, we hear (3) → ATE Homophone
Sounds like “eight”.
How this puzzle was checked
Every clue in this crossword was verified against its own wordplay by
software, then the finished puzzle was read and edited by hand before
publication: definitions, indicators, enumerations and surface readings
all get looked at, and clues that don't hold up are rewritten. The
editorial standards set out what that
covers.
Spotted something wrong here? Email
badclues@decryptic.app and
this page will be corrected. See the
corrections policy.
